Original Mario movie actor John Leguizamo boycotts the new Super Mario Bros. Movie after previously criticizing the animated adaption of the Nintendo video game franchise. In an interview with TMZ, he went further about his gripes with the Illumination film and how he will not watch it.
The 1993 live-action adaption of the video game characters is one of the most infamous video game adaptions. John Leguizamo played Luigi, and Bob Hoskins as Mario in the original film. To him, being Luigi was “groundbreaking,” and casting Chris Pratt (Mario) and Charlie Day (Luigi) “messed up the inclusion” and meant that the filmmakers “stopped the groundbreaking.”
“No I will not. They could’ve included a Latin character. Like I was groundbreaking and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We’re 20% of the population. The largest people of color group and we are unrepresented.”
John Leguizamo boycotts the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie
Previously, John Leguizamo called out the new Mario animated film for its casting. The cast was largely white, with Pratt, Day, Anya Taylor-Joy (Peach), Seth Rogan (Donkey Kong), and Jack Black (Bowser). For the people of color cast in the film, it included Keegan Michael-Key (Toad), Khary Payton (Penguin King), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek). Taylor-Joy has Argentinian blood and had a part of her childhood in the country.
The two Hollywood takes on the Nintendo property have taken wildly different directions, with 1993 being live-action and the 2023 film being animation. The original Mario movie with John Leguizamo was directed by Annabel Jankel (and Rocky Morton. It was penned by Parker Bennett, Terry Runte, and Ed Solomon. Teen Titans GO! To the Movies directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic helmed the 2023 movie. Matthew Fogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru) wrote the script.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out and divisive. While critic reviews are low, audiences love the film. It has been criticized for its shallow characters and plot as it leans into the history and Easter eggs that hold up how gamers feel about the games. Still, with its audience reactions, it looks to be another hit for Illumination and video game adaptions, which have been on a roll in recent years.